Anderson: Series closer than 4-0

Australia

Standing in for the ill skipper Joe Root, James Anderson faced the press after a fourth defeat of the Ashes series in the fifth Test in Sydney.

Anderson would insist that the contest was closer than Australia's 4-0 margin of victory suggests.

Most games in the series fell into a similar pattern with England able to win some sessions but never able to decisively take hold of matches.

Anderson said at the post match press conference: "I do think it’s been closer than 4-0. We’ve been on top in some games if not all the games at some stage."

The veteran quick feels that their failure was down to an inability to capitalize on key moments in the games.

He added: "We’ve just not capitalised in the key moments where, if we kick on with the bat and get a big score in the first innings then we put them under more pressure. 

"Similarly, if we get them a couple of wickets down early it would get us in the game and get us on top.

"We’ve just not managed to do it in those key moments and they’ve handled those pressurised moment and situations better than us and eventually when they’ve done that and put pressure back on us we’ve not coped with it well and that’s why they’ve won."

In the end England wilted badly at the back end of the fifth Test in Sydney with key man Root laid low by a tummy bug and unable to complete his innings.

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